CH 9.2

“Well, what a nagger!” Axel grumbled, but he was no longer sarcastic.

Since their chief’s prestige was at stake, Schiff had warned him at the North to suppress his clever wit.

“If you hated my nagging, why didn’t you stay at the mansion instead of Lecter?”

When a man about the same age as Axel spoke, Schiff warned him again. “You! Be quiet, Cole. The Marquis shouldn’t know that we left a watchman behind.”

At that moment, the Marquis of Milrose got off the wagon and stumbled awkwardly.

Schiff saw that and approached the Marquis. “Do you need an escort?”

“Pfft!”

Axel and Cole burst into laughter.

The rest of the Balkans giggled as if they were having fun.

Of Cade’s seven closest aides, Schiff was the most decent gentleman.

He was kind to the frail-looking men and women.

However, only women had the privilege to receive an offering from gentlemen to help them off the carriage.

The rest of the group couldn’t help but laugh when Schiff offered to become the Marquis’ escort.

He was just a stern man who just stumbled a bit.

The Marquis’ wrinkled face resembled a red tomato, and it was Cade who replied instead. “The Marquis can walk on his own, Schiff. Get out of his way.”

Schiff nodded with a poker face and withdrew from the Marquis.

Was Cade defending the Marquis of Milose?

Not necessarily.

Cade had accompanied and watched over the old man these past few days.

It was clear that the Marquis had turned a blind eye on poor people’s plight from the way he behaved around them.

He had no manners at all.

“No. I see that the corners of your large mouths have twisted up. I’m sure you found mocking me enjoyable. The Marquis of Milose said with gritted teeth.

“Blkanov had educated us well and we were never rude. Damn it, I had nothing more to say and I’m not in a position to say anything.”

Cade motioned at them to move away from the Marquis and it made him swear.

It’s not normal for someone to just take a step out of somebody’s way so easily even if it was unconscious.

The tall men stared down at the Marquis as if they wanted to bite him but couldn’t.

Their bodies did not budge even if he tried to shove their shoulders.

On the contrary, the Marquis’ shoulders had folded from their tremendous strength.

The Marquis had looked like a clown as he tried to slip through the men’s cracks.

He peeped at Cade’s proud face in secret.

No matter how many times he declared himself a Blkanov, he was still an adopted child.

It’s ridiculous to drag a savage around as an attendant who doesn’t even know etiquette.

Any high-ranking aristocrat should have a close companion that matched his status.

The Milose family’s butler was also quite famous in the West for being a virtuoso.

Therefore, Blkanov, who had the bloodline of a noble hero hundreds of years ago, had to have a companion who was as dignified as him.

This would have been easier for the previous Duke of Blkanov to handle.

For his life, he couldn’t understand what they were thinking.

The Marquis of Milose pointed to the five-story stone building in front of him and groveled to Cade, “This is the building I mentioned earlier, Your Grace.”

Indeed, it was the building he had mentioned until the saliva in his mouth had dried up.

The Marquis explained while examining Cade’s reaction.

“Since it’s new, we expect a lot of visitors once the store opens.”

The instant all of them entered the building, the Marquis’ voice grew livelier.

“We decorated not only the exterior but also the interior according to the style of the Eastern Kingdom, famous for its sophisticated architecture. It had the rarest design in our Empire. But the transaction price is—-”

Cade’s men had climbed so briskly that the Marquis feared they’d destroy the stairs.

The Marquis, whose eyes were about to pop out, called out to them.

“Hey! Don’t run!”

“We aren’t running.”

“It’s because he’s a muscled pig. His body was so heavy with muscles that it sounded like he was running instead of walking.”

The big men exchanged childish jokes and laughed.

‘These savages must be having fun playing tricks on me!’ The Marquis of Milose thought and gnashed his teeth. ‘Once I get the money, this humiliation will be over.’

The Marquis, who regained his composure by coughing dryly, continued. “Well, I’ve given you a heads-up. Five million gold ingots, I believe, is not a bad deal.”

Cade, who was looking out the window carelessly, turned to the Marquis.”It’s much higher than the actual price of the nearby building.”

“It isn’t suited as a commercial building because it’s far from the main street.”

“Yes. The street isn’t crowded at all.”

“The construction period was concise, as well. There is room for internal and external problems here.”

“Do you mean that the building is of poor quality? It’s a misunderstanding, Your Grace.”

“Is there any special reason you want to get a higher amount of gold from me than the original market price?”

Startled, Marquis of Milose shut up.

Despite his plausible explanation, the building alone was five times more expensive than the market price of the nearby buildings.

The reason was…he was planning to sell Cherryl to him.

The Marquis thought the Duke understood why since they already had a few conversations about it under the guise of business.

It was the first time he had asked so bluntly.

“You don’t seem like the person who calculates loss and profit, Your Grace. You already have so much wealth. Why are you asking this question all of a sudden?’

The Marquis of Milose rubbed his sweaty palms.

“If you can’t answer my question—-”

“I don’t mean to weigh in on trifles, so just answer the question.”

Nevertheless, the Grand Duke’s usual emotionless countenance turned cold and hard.